Somewhere beyond Justice League, Shazam and all that talk of whether or not Ben Affleck is still Batman, the Nightwing movie is quietly but confidently in the works over at Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is being directed by Chris McKay, who also directed The LEGO Batman Movie. And if you were worried that the director of a LEGO superhero parody might not have what it takes to tackle the real DCEU deal, worry no more.

Talking recently at the press day for The LEGO Ninjago Movie, on which he was a producer, McKay had this to say about his approach to Nightwing:

“It’s gonna be a fucking badass action movie with a lot of heart and emotion. It’s gonna be a crazy, fun ride. Whoever gets cast as Nightwing, and any of the other actors around, are gonna go through a fucking boot camp experience because it’s gonna be a lot. I’m not gonna do a lot of CG. It’s gonna be all real shit. It’s gonna be real stuntwork, and they’re gonna need to do all of the stuff on camera and do it credibly. For the cast and the crew, it’s gonna be a visceral experience, and for the audience. It’s not gonna be like a lot of these movies where there’s a lot of CG and flying, and things like that. Everything he does is gonna have to be real. His superpower is being really fucking good, as a human being, at fighting and gymnastics and shit like that, so you’re gonna see that on screen. It’s gonna be fun!”

It seems McKay’s Dick Grayson is set for a baptism of fire, being brought into the DC Extended Universe in what sounds like an action-heavy, physically punishing movie. Fans will no doubt be looking forward to seeing Nightwing taking on his opponents without an over-reliance on CGI.

McKay’s promises the movie will also be fun and have “a lot of heart and emotion” may also give some hope to fans who weren’t so pleased with some of DC’s gloomier recent turns, such as Batman v Superman. Tonally, Nightwing may well be closer to Wonder Woman or what we’ve seen so far of Justice League. But with much still to be announced, including a cast and release date, we can only speculate for the time being.

Are you excited for Chris McKay’s take on Nightwing? Who do you think could pull off the role? Sound off in the comments below.

5 Things The ‘Nightwing’ Movie Needs To Get Right

Of all the surprising moves made by DC, announcing a solo Nightwing film was perhaps the most surprising. Considering Batman hasn’t even started filming his solo movie yet, it seemed a bit premature. Then of course came the announcement of the Batgirl movie, and it became clear that DC is hedging its bets in favor of Batman’s surrogate family. While it may have been more favorable to wait until the release of The Batman to consider spinning off the sidekicks, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to with these announcements, but a lot to be apprehensive about too.

Between Batgirl and Nightwing, the Barbara Gordon film is probably the safer bet for an immediately successful solo entry. Dick Grayson has a lot more to prove. After all, he’s still considered by general audiences to be simply Robin. They might know that Dick eventually becomes Nightwing, but to most, this just means a change in costume and attitude, but a character who still essentially lives in Batman’s shadow.

This couldnt be further from the truth. In fact, a huge part of Nightwing’s appeal is just how different he is from Batman. Dick has his own way of operating, his own set of values, his own moral code, and his own outlook on life that’s totally different from Bruce Wayne’s. Nightwing represents one of the most optimistic voices in heroism, and when he’s done right, his comic book adventures are a breath of fresh air. There’s a lot of great stuff director Chris Mckay can pull from the Nightwing comics to ensure the movie lives and breathes that authentic Dick Grayson vibe. Here are the 5 things the Nightwing movie needs to get right. Click next to begin!

“. It’s gonna be all real s hit. It’s gonna be real stuntwork, and they’re gonna need to do all of the stuff on camera and do it credibly.”

Well, David Ayer already did that and the result is not impressive. Stunts and actors doing the fighting scenes we see on any TV show. We need more awesome things to superheroes. Like what we see in Snyder’s movies.